Reviews
a minha análise: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...
Kind of interesting. I'm a big fan of Oliver Sacks, but found this one a bit difficult to get through. I guess stories about people who music-related neural problems can only go so far. The stories get more interesting when they involve other neurological issues like amnesia and other issues. I have to admit that I kind of skipped the parts that didn't interest me and only skimmed those stories, so maybe I missed out on the real good stuff.
This has recently been my "go to sleep" audiobook as I've read it a few times and find it very soothing to listen to - and also to remember just how much I have to be grateful for being relatively "neurotypical" I can never get enough of Oliver Sacks and his insights and experience.
Sacks beschrijft hoe diepgeworteld muziek in de mens zit en wat voor bijzondere dingen muziek kan doen bij bijvoorbeeld dementie, parkinson, tourette, blindheid maar ook hoe mensen door een ongeluk ontzettend muzikaal worden of muziek niet meer dan ongecontroleerde herrie horen. Ook behandelt hij (voor mij) minder bekende onderwerpen zoals synesthesie, fantoomvingers bij een pianst of dystonie bij muzikanten. De wonderen van muziek, uitgelegd aan de hand van bijzondere anekdotes, en waar ze gebeuren in het brein. Dat laatste was erg lastig te begrijpen, boven mijn niveau.
Sacks's Musicophilia is an indepth record of how music and sound influences neurology and psychology. There are many subjects covered in first hand accounts recollected by Sacks as many stories come from his patients. My biggest issue is that there are so many subjects covered that the book feels unwieldy in its objective. With so many topics covered it can be hard to really process everything discussed. Each subject is also varied in how in depth it gets. some chapters go into great detail while others are just a few pages. Sacks also relies heavily on these patient accounts for content for this book. By jumping around from story to story the process of reading this book can feel spastic. The focus on these recollections also leaves a lot to be desired with the actual scientific explanations for some of these phenomenons. While the book covered a lot of subjects I wish it gave more answers, or at least hypotheses. Overall Musicophilia did direct my attention towards a lot of different topics that I hadn't thought of before. It has influenced how I think about music and sound and how that can vary compared to others. For this reason I would still recommend this book to any musicians or devoted fans of music.
